Mu Qingyan, despite his young age, prided himself on his bravery. However, faced with this primordial beast, he couldn’t help but tremble. He grabbed Cai Zhao, intending to flee, but she remained rooted to the spot, her face filled with anxiety.
“Qian Xueshen can handle this!” she exclaimed.
“He’s seeking death. Let him have it,” Mu Qingyan retorted coldly.
“We can’t just watch him die!”
Mu Qingyan considered knocking the girl unconscious. “If we leave quickly, we won’t have to witness his fate.”
“You go first. I’ll meet you at the foot of the mountain,” Cai Zhao insisted, shaking off Mu Qingyan’s hand and rushing forward.
Mu Qingyan stood there, dumbfounded. “Do you even believe what you’re saying?”
The entrance to the ice cave yawned before them, its depths unfathomable. Cai Zhao stood at the edge, peering into the inky blackness below. In the center rose a massive ice pillar, around which coiled the giant python. Disturbed from its slumber, the creature was enraged. Its emerald eyes, now vertical slits, emanated a terrifying glow.
Duan Jiuxiu, his two companions, and Qian Xueshen clung to the icy walls at various heights. Duan Jiuxiu, being the quickest and most skilled, had managed to secure himself closest to the ground.
The python, long accustomed to the darkness of the ice layers, had poor eyesight. It slowly swiveled its enormous head, seemingly searching for the living creatures that had disturbed its rest. Cai Zhao lay motionless at the cave’s entrance.
As everyone held their breath, the snake’s head rotated halfway before stopping in front of Duan Jiuxiu.
Cai Zhao suddenly realized why. When Duan Jiuxiu had decapitated Zhou Zhiqin earlier, some blood must have splattered onto him, attracting the python’s attention. She felt a sense of karmic justice in this turn of events.
As the snake’s head inched closer, a bone-chilling cold swept over them. Sweat beaded on Duan Jiuxiu’s forehead as he silently cursed Zhou Zhiqin and Cai Zhao. Glancing down, he noticed Qian Xueshen hanging less than twenty feet below him, his face alight with the joy of impending revenge.
Hatred surged through Duan Jiuxiu. He channeled his energy into his right arm, causing a half-length ox tendon rope to fly from his sleeve. In one swift motion, he snatched Qian Xueshen and hurled him towards the snake’s head. At that moment, the python was slowly opening its cavernous mouth, revealing two sharp fangs as thick as tree trunks.
Seeing Qian Xueshen about to become the python’s chew toy, Cai Zhao had no choice but to leap down. The silver chain on her left wrist shot out, yanking Qian Xueshen away from the snake’s mouth. Simultaneously, she swung her sword with all her might, striking the python’s neck.
Seizing this opportunity, Duan Jiuxiu scurried up the wall like a gecko. Just as he glimpsed freedom above, a familiar figure appeared, speaking in a cool voice, “Please, Elder Duan, allow me to assist you.”
A powerful kick to the face sent Duan Jiuxiu reeling, half his body going numb as he plummeted into the abyss. Fortunately, his right hand still had some strength, allowing him to dig his fingers into the ice wall and slow his descent.
Cai Zhao, gripping Qian Xueshen’s collar with her left hand and her sword hilt with her right, also slid down the wall. Mu Qingyan, having just kicked Duan Jiuxiu, caught a glimpse of the girl’s falling figure, her clothes fluttering as she descended.
Mu Qingyan sighed deeply. He felt he was not just acting like a righteous sect member, but a veritable bodhisattva, deserving of daily offerings on an altar. With another sigh, he leaped down. On his way, he spotted Qi Nong and Hu Tianwei struggling to climb up the ice wall. With a sweep of his long sleeve, he effortlessly knocked them down as well.
The python, an ancient and fearsome creature, was covered in scales harder than iron. Ordinary weapons couldn’t even scratch it. However, the Yan Yang sword was a rare divine weapon, said to have been forged with the essence of fierce flames and the scorching sun, making it the perfect counter to this heat-fearing ice crystal python.
As the sword cut into its flesh, the python writhed in pain, its massive tail lashing out in all directions with earth-shattering force. Each strike shattered the hard ice walls, sending huge chunks raining down on the six people who had just landed, preventing them from standing upright.
In the violently shaking ice cave, Qi Nong, Hu Tianwei, and Qian Xueshen rolled on the ground. Mu Qingyan barely managed to stand while holding onto Cai Zhao. Only Duan Jiuxiu had secured himself to a protruding part of the ice wall with his ox tendon rope.
The ice cave resembled a primordial abyss, over 2,000 feet deep. The group felt as if they had fallen straight into the mountain’s core. Looking up, the entrance they had fallen through was now merely the size of a palm. Strangely, the cave wasn’t dark; its walls emitted a soft, flowing light.
Seeing this situation, Duan Jiuxiu inwardly despaired. Trapped in the snake’s lair with the python still active, how could they escape?
Suddenly, Qi Nong let out a blood-curdling scream, while Hu Tianwei’s throat emitted a choking sound. Both their faces were contorted with indescribable terror.
In the light emanating from the walls, everyone realized that this wasn’t just the python’s lair, but also a horrifying pit of bones.
The uneven, circular pit was filled with layer upon layer of animal and human remains. Judging by the skeletal shapes, everything from birds and snow leopards to rabbits and roe deer had become the python’s prey. Most terrifying were the human remains scattered among them. The ancient ones that had turned to white bone were less disturbing than the more recent victims. Due to the extreme cold of the ice cave, some bodies had been eerily preserved after the python had finished feeding.
Qi Nong had landed next to a corpse that the python had half-devoured, its face with hair standing on end mere inches from her own. Despite her usual ruthlessness, this sight terrified her. Hu Tianwei had rolled into a pile of skeletons with flesh still clinging to them, covering his head and face with a mixture of blood and ice chips, nearly making him vomit.
Cai Zhao wasn’t faring much better, leaning against the ice wall and fighting the urge to retch. While Qian Xueshen’s face was ashen, the fire of revenge kept him unusually excited. Only Mu Qingyan maintained his composure, even attempting to comfort the girl: “This is much better than the Sacrificial Cliff of the Divine Cult. At least it’s so cold here that the bodies don’t rot. If you fell to the bottom of the Sacrificial Cliff, you’d step on slippery eyeballs with every step, or worse, slimy, decaying brain matter. You wouldn’t even be able to stand.”
Cai Zhao’s face turned green. “Please, stop talking!”
The six of them huddled against the wall until the python’s frenzy subsided and the ice blocks stopped falling. Only then did they dare to look up.
The ice rain had stopped, but the enraged python was swooping down on them, its blood-red maw wide open. As everyone braced themselves, Qian Xueshen suddenly threw a small porcelain bottle at Qi Nong and Hu Tianwei’s feet.
The bottle shattered on the hard ice, scattering shards and a viscous yellow liquid. Several drops splashed onto Qi Nong and Hu Tianwei. At first, they feared it was poison, but they felt no pain or burning sensation. Before they could question it, the python’s blood-red tongue swept over them.
After the initial rounds of indiscriminate attacks, the python seemed to focus on Qi Nong and Hu Tianwei. Its massive head pursued only the two of them, and despite their high level of cultivation, they narrowly avoided being swallowed several times. Fortunately, whenever the python chased them, Mu Qingyan and Duan Jiuxiu continuously struck their bellies from the sides. Otherwise, the two would have long since been turned into ice statues by its freezing breath.
However, the python’s body was incredibly long, coiling seven or eight times on the ground. As it uncoiled, the group found themselves with nowhere to hide.
Cai Zhao struggled to hold back Qian Xueshen, who was determined to rush forward. “You go up first. We’ll follow later!” she urged.
Qian Xueshen fought against her grip, mocking, “Drop your heroic act. Why save someone like me?”
“You’re not a bad person. You shouldn’t die,” Cai Zhao insisted, her face tense.
Qian Xueshen laughed, almost to the point of tears. “I’m not a bad person? Do you think I’m not bad? Haha… Are you blind?”
“Maybe I am,” Cai Zhao stubbornly replied. “But I understand you now. Why did you release the white-furred beast on our first night in the snow mountains? Why did you go to such lengths, even risking letting your enemy escape, to place the snow-scaled dragon beast’s saliva in front of me? I’ve figured it all out now!”
Putting herself in Qian Xueshen’s shoes, Cai Zhao realized that the deeper his enemies ventured into the snow mountains, the more advantageous it would be for him.
On their first night in the mountains, when they were still close to the base if the white-furred beast had scared the cowardly Chen Fuguang and Jin Baohui into fleeing, wouldn’t Qian Xueshen’s plans have been ruined?
As for the jade bottle of saliva in the frozen corpse’s hand, it was all part of Qian Xueshen’s carefully laid plan.
The two white-furred beasts were meant to attack Lan Tianyu and Dongfang Xiao. In their haste to escape, Hu Tianwei and his disciples naturally stayed close to Lan Tianyu, while Zhou Zhiqin cared for the injured Dongfang Xiao. Consequently, Jin Baohui, left without support, would unconsciously gravitate towards Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao.
When the second ice cave tremor occurred and everyone sought shelter in ice caverns, Jin Baohui would inevitably be with Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao.
The frozen corpse was specifically placed there for Jin Baohui to find.
While others might pass that spot without noticing anything, Jin Baohui, with his deep knowledge of the snow-scaled dragon beast’s saliva, would immediately be alerted by its scent, allowing Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao to obtain the saliva.
“You arranged for us to get that bottle of saliva, not to make us fight against Duan Jiuxiu and the others, but to help us achieve our goal and leave the mountains quickly, escaping the trap you set!” Cai Zhao shouted over the surrounding chaos.
Qian Xueshen’s face froze, a mix of emotions playing across it.
Mu Qingyan, leaning against the ice wall, couldn’t resist teasing, “Isn’t Zhaozao overthinking this? Could this guy be so kind-hearted?”
“Then why did he release the white-furred beasts on the first night? It served no purpose other than to scare us and make us wary of them. If he had released them in the previous ice cave, they might have bitten more people!” Cai Zhao retorted, pulling Qian Xueshen as she dodged the giant snake’s tail.
Mu Qingyan evaded swiftly, causing a head-sized chunk of ice to hit the python instead. “Maybe he’s just incompetent. Do you think everyone can execute a perfect plan in one go?”
“You’re right!” Qian Xueshen used all his strength to break free from Cai Zhao and then rushed toward Duan Jiuxiu. When he was about five or six steps away, he threw a small porcelain bottle onto the hard ice, spilling yellow viscous liquid.
However, Duan Jiuxiu, far more skilled than Qi Nong and Hu Tianwei, managed to evade the liquid while fighting the python. He even countered with a palm strike that sent Qian Xueshen flying into the wall.
“What is this stuff?” Duan Jiuxiu glanced at the yellow liquid on the ground, then at Qi Nong and Hu Tianwei who were still being pursued relentlessly by the python. He seemed to realize something.
Qian Xueshen, lying on the ground and coughing blood, laughed maniacally. “It’s extracted from a thousand female snakes. Male snakes go crazy when they smell it, hahaha…”
Cai Zhao turned her head. “I think he’s quite clever.” — It’s just the pheromones animals release during mating season, she thought.
“Look,” Mu Qingyan said, focusing intently on something ahead and pointing. “There seems to be something stuck in the snake’s neck.”
Cai Zhao looked where he indicated.
Although the python was incredibly thick, its body was generally very flexible and could bend and fold at will. However, a section about six or seven feet long just below its head seemed rigid, unable to bend completely.
Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other. They immediately moved to flank the python.
Cai Zhao darted behind the python’s head and leaped into the air. Gripping her sword with both hands, she brought it down with all her might. A golden-red light broke through a string of pure white snake scales. As the python recoiled in pain, she quickly threw out her silver chain, passing it under the massive snake’s body. Simultaneously, Mu Qingyan jumped down from the ice wall, delivering two powerful palm strikes to the area just below the python’s head.
A deep, resonant sound echoed as the strikes connected, forcefully knocking the enormous snake head aside. In its agony, it thrashed its head and tail wildly. Hu Tianwei, unable to dodge in time, was struck by the tail and sent flying, blood spurting from his mouth. Terrified, Qi Nong rushed towards Duan Jiuxiu, crying, “Master, save me, please save me…”
Duan Jiuxiu, now aware that the two were covered in female snake scent and that the male python would pursue them relentlessly, had no intention of letting Qi Nong near him. He barked harshly, “Get away!” and struck out with his palm.
Caught off guard, Qi Nong took the full force of the blow. She plummeted from mid-air, thin streams of dark red blood trickling from her mouth, nose, and ears.
Suddenly, the python made a strange gulping sound. After twisting violently against the ice wall a few times, it opened its bloody maw and spat out something slimy. Looking down, the group saw it was a soaking wet person!
The person’s limbs and spine were extremely soft, their skin swollen and blistered, covered in the python’s sticky saliva. Incredibly, they were still able to move slightly, making faint “Ah ah” sounds.
Everyone felt nauseated, except for the iron-stomached Mu Qingyan, who peered closely at the person’s swollen face and calmly said, “It’s Chen Fuguang.”
The ice floor was uneven. When Qi Nong fell from mid-air, she naturally rolled to a lower area. Chen Fuguang, after being spat out by the python, also rolled in the same direction, coming to a stop right next to Qi Nong.
He slowly raised his head, revealing his face and neck covered in flesh corroded by the python’s gastric juices. Qi Nong screamed hysterically. Then Chen Fuguang twisted with all his might and sank his teeth into Qi Nong’s throat—
His teeth were the only weapon left to him, as all his other bones had been broken.
Qi Nong’s throat made a choking sound as her body convulsed, blood gushing out.
Chen Fuguang only released his bite after Qi Nong had breathed her last. He let out a series of shrill, maniacal laughs before succumbing to exhaustion and dying.